Chapter 213 - 209: Forbidden in the Wealthy
Translator: 549690339
Most clan leaders capable of establishing mansions are typically at the peak of Mortal Realm cultivation, aged between thirty-five and forty-five. Apart from a few hereditary cases, most are no different.
Leaders of this age generally have numerous children, legitimate or otherwise. The norm is for the mansion to be home to a dozen or so lords.
But Tang Luo’s family is different. Mainly because Tang Sen broke through the Fierce Realm too soon, which directly resulted in Xu Shuhui virtually losing the chance to conceive again. This led Xu Shuhui to regard her two sons and one daughter as actual treasures, not tolerating the slightest loss.
One needs to know how many potential heirs have forfeited their prospects due to indulging sexual pleasures prematurely, their lustful thoughts and bodily vigor drained away by wine and sex. This is commonplace even in the holy Xu Clan, let alone the Tang Clan.
Luckily, the eldest son Tang Luo, despite his precocity, maintained a good character and showed no interest in the temptations of amorous affections much like Tang Sen.
Assuming that the second son, Tang Xing, would follow his elder brother’s excellent example and ascend the path of martial arts, Xu Shuhui never thought he would run into any issues in the Martial Hall, especially with her husband serving as the First Head of the Martial Hall.
This eleven-year-old young lad, currently in the accumulation phase of the Mortal Realm Peak, was viewed as a potential prodigy. While basking in pride and looking forward to having two geniuses in the family, a grave mistake occurred during one of her routine visits home.
A servant girl, named Miao Zhu, unexpectedly spent the night in Tang Xing’s room. If Xu Shuhui hadn’t had the habit of having breakfast with her younger son, she wouldn’t have discovered the audacious servant girl wreaking havoc within the Tang Mansion!
An enraged mistress is undoubtedly terrible. She hoisted the boy out of bed and brought him to the side hall for a family meeting. Joined by a few of the stewards from the mansion, they discussed how to deal with this insolent servant girl.
The first to be punished was Liu Niang, the manager of the maid servants.
Liu Niang used to be her maid, and it was her trust that led her to hand over the task of assigning and selecting other maid servants to Liu Niang. But now her precious second son had lost his purity to a lowly maid – this was something Xu Shuhui could never tolerate!
“I entrusted you with the important responsibility of managing the maid servants within the mansion, and this is how you repay me!” Her cold eyes were filled with disappointment, her voice trembling with anger.
Liu Niang, a woman near forty with preserved charm, maintained a good figure despite not practicing martial arts. Although wrinkles had started to surface on her face, her youthful beauty was still discernible. She wept and repentantly said, “I failed your kindness, my lady. But Miao Zhu was always a shy and timid lass. I specifically assigned her to work in the study room. I can’t imagine how she mustered the courage to entice the young master!”
Furious at Liu Niang’s unwillingness to take responsibility and attempting to speak up for the immodest servant, Xu Shuhui covered her chest, feeling all these years of affection for the maid turn sour.
“Mistress, calm down,” advised Chang Le who had been standing by, witnessing Xu Shuhui’s agitation. “What Mrs. Liu said might not be groundless. Why don’t we ask Miao Zhu’s roommates for more information? We don’t want to punish an innocent girl.”
Chang Le was the eldest son of Chang Fu. Because Chang Fu had to assist Tang Sen in handling the affairs of the Martial Hall and had no time to manage the mansion chores, he delegated the stewardship into several parts to several stewards of the Tang Mansion. Chang Le was one of them.
Inheriting his father’s kind character, Chang Le wasn’t hasty in passing a judgment. But his decision wasn’t recognized by another steward – Manager Xu!???????????? 5
“Manager Chang, you’re mistaken! Even disregarding the fact that the young master is a simple and honest lad who would not be interested in impure matters, merely the fact that this maid dared to enter the Young Master’s private chambers is a capital offense. Regardless of her reasons, she has transgressed her boundaries. This maid deserves to be killed!” Manager Xu, with a sharp look in his eyes, placed full blame on Miao Zhu.
Xu Shuhui nodded in agreement, finding Manager Xu’s argument more convincing. Today’s incident wasn’t merely about a maid or a servant girl seducing a warrior. It was a far graver matter – the loss of Tang Xing’s purity! Her management of the servants and maids in the mansion was by no means unkind. In the mansions of other powerful families, the servants and maid servants belonged solely to their masters, being used as rewards for their servants, or to entertain guests.
But she allowed them to choose their bond, whether it be the family guards or the warriors of the mansion. As long as the other party was willing to propose formally, she didn’t mind granting these girls some freedom. For those who were older, she would even add a dowry.
In her day-to-day leadership, she was always forgiving, never inflicting unfair punishment.
The rules m the mansion were relaxed, with the strictest one being that her sons devoted themselves to martial arts and should not be tempted, to avoid any distractions.
But even this modest requirement was overlooked and ignored, which clearly indicated the extent of Xu Shuhui’s anger.
“Manager Xu is absolutely right! How could my son ever be attracted to such a woman, and why would we need a servant to testify to uncover the truth?” Xu Shuhui, with a frown of anger, grabbed her younger son’s arm.
The boy, who had been hanging his head low, trembled as Xu Shuhui pulled his arm, looking up to see his mother’s angry face, an additional flash of terror crossing his features.
Xu Shuhui, watching her son’s terrified expression, felt a pang in her heart. Her rage subsided as she gently rubbed his back and softly asked, “Don’t be scared, Xing’er. Mommy’s here. Tell me, did you bring this maid into your room?” The boy’s eyes were filled with terror. After glancing at his mother and then at the maid kneeling silently on the hall floor, he stuttered: “N…no, it wasn’t me that brought her.” He then lowered his head again.
All the attention was on the young lord’s statement, who would notice the despair in the eyes of the kneeling maid?
This was a kind of desolation and pain that words could hardly describe. But such a shocking expression went unnoticed by everyone.
Upon hearing the young lord’s words, Manager Chang could only shake his head with a bitter smile, while Manager Xu’s murderous intent intensified.
As for Xu Shuhui, she didn’t need to say anything. Seeing her son in such a frightened state, she blamed Miao Zhu for everything.
“Drag her out! Beat her to death with random sticks… Let all the maid servants see this as an example of what happens to those who seduce the young master!” This was the first time Xu Shuhui had issued such an execution order m the mansion. A flash of reluctance was instantly replaced by hatred in her eyes.
If her son, as a consequence of this matter, loses his martial foundation and drowns himself in lust, she wouldn’t know how to face Tang Sen.
Upon hearing Miao Zhu’s punishment, Tang Xing could not help but tremble.
“Mistress, Miao Zhu was raised before my eyes. There’s no way she could have tried to seduce the young master. Please discern the truth, my lady,” pleaded Liu Niang once again when she heard the sentence for Miao Zhu.. Tears streamed down her own face as she turned to Miao Zhu and urged her, “Speak, child! Speak up quickly, tell the mistress what exactly happened last night!”